If you are planning to attempt Gunung Tahan this year you may wish to consider joining our “no-frills” special departure. The date is from 8-12 March 2012.  And here are the details:

GUNUNG TAHAN CHALLENGE PACKAGE
(ROUTE 01: SG RELAU-GUNUNG TAHAN-SG RELAU)
Special Departure: 8-12 March 2012

Package Rate Per Person (Grouping of max 12 persons per guides).
Please note: Your final price payable will be dependent on the number of climbers booked for this date.
Price valid for Malaysia Citizens Only.
• 10-12 persons : RM175.00 per person
• 8-9 persons : RM195.00 per person
• 6-7 persons : RM235.00 per person
• 4-5 persons : RM350.00 per person
• 2-3 persons : RM635.00 per person

PACKAGE INCLUDES
• Park Entry Permit. Camping Fees. Mountain Guide Fees. 4WD Transfer from Kuala Juram to Sg Relau
• Expedition Monitoring. Certificate of Achievement. First Aid Kit

PACKAGE EXCLUDES
> Camera License-RM5.00 per unit. Porter Services Fee-RM1200.00 per porter/maximum carry 15kg
>Tent Equipment During Expedition. Accommodation arrangement at Sg Relau. Meals & Rations
>Travel Insurance. Any Optional Activities Or Arrangement Not Listed in the itinerary

TERMS & CONDITIONS
Open to all fit and courageous adventurers only! Minimum reservation of 02 persons per group. We reserved the right to alter the itinerary or cancel a tour due to inclement weather or unforeseen operational conditions for the safety of our guest. We accept no liability for losses due to failure to connect with other services and cannot be held liable for loss of baggage or personal items, illness, injury or death resulting from activities which is beyond our control. Reservations are subject to guides availability and weather conditions. 50% deposit is required upon confirmation and the balance to be paid 2 weeks prior to departure. Non refundable if no show.

PROPOSED EXPEDITION ITINERARY

Day 01 (Depart from JB/KL/Singapore –Own Transport)
Note: -We advise our participants to arrive 1 day earlier in order that you have adequate rest and time for any last minute preparation before the start of the expedition the following day.

The accommodation can be arranged at Taman Negara Merapoh Base Camp at reasonable rates. For example
• Fan Dormitory- RM15.00 per persons
• Fan Rooms- RM50.00 per night
• A/C Rooms- RM80.00 per night

Day 02 (Base Camp-Camp Kor) (All meals & tents on your own arrangement)
0500hrs Expected arrival at Taman Negara Sungai Relau. Rest and relax / public compound.
• Meet Us | YOUR PACKAGE START HERE
0800hrs Taman Negara Sg Relau
• Programme and safety briefing by us. Meet your mountain guides
• Last minute preparation
• Registration and reporting at the Wildlife Office
0930hrs Gunung Tahan expedition begins. Transfer from Sg Relau base camp to Kuala Juram (13.0km/ 45 minutes-By 4WD)
1100hrs From Kuala Juram to Camp Kor (750m level) (13.5km/ 4-5 hours- Trekking)
1600hrs Latest time to reach Camp Kor. Set Up your own tent. Cook your own meal.

DAY 03 (Camp Kor-Gunung Tahan-Camp Botak) (All meals & tents on your own arrangement)
0800hrs Latest time to proceed trekking.
• Camp Kor to Peak of Gunung Tahan (2187m level) OR Camp Botak (based on group strength)
• (18.5km/ 9-10hrs – Trekking)
1800hrs Latest time to reach Peak OR Camp Botak. Set Up your own tent. Cook your own meals. Rest & refresh

DAY 04 (Camp Botak-Camp Kor) (All meals & tents on your own arrangement)
0800hrs Latest time to proceed trekking. Camp Botak Or Peak to Camp Kor (based on group strength)
• 18.5km/ 9-10hrs Trekking
1800hrs Latest time to reach Camp Kor. Set Up your own tent. Cook your own meals . Rest & refresh

DAY 05 (Camp Kor- Base Camp) (All meals & tents at your own)

0900hrs Latest time to proceed trekking. Camp Kor to Kuala Juram. (13.5km/ 4-5 hours- Trekking)
1400hrs Latest time to reach Kuala Juram. Transfer from Kuala Juram to Sg Relau Base Camp.
• 13.0k/ 45 minutes- By 4WD
1530hrs Expected arrival at Sg Relau Base Camp. Checking by Wildlife Office. Rest and leisure time

• YOUR PACKAGE ENDS HERE
• Depart back to JB/ KL

If you are interested to join please contact us via email.
As places are limited, confirmation is on first come first served basis.

They would like to know what recommendations I have for them. And if they were to pack for a trek what would the essential items be. Things that would be beneficial to them for the trip should their trip back be delayed requiring them to stay longer. Or, let’s say if they were lost. What are the items that they have in their pack that could propably help increase their chances of survival, or at the very least make them comfortable while they wait for help.  With that in mind, I sat down an wrote this blog post  on “12 Essential Items That Can Save Your Life If You Were Lost While Trekking”.

Before I started writing this post, I had a quick look in my backpack thinking that listing out the items in this post was sufficient. But I realized that what you do before you start stuffing you backpack is also important. So the first thing if I were you is to ask yourself how long would your trip be. Things that go into the backpack would really depend on how long your trip is.

Essential items taken on a day trip or an overnighter would be lesser than a longer trip. Trip spanning a few days would require even more essential items which would probably be explained in another posting.

Since many people would be going out trekking on day trips I would really want to address this group of people first.  Generally day trips would also interest newbies who are only starting to get their feet wet in trekking and hiking activities.  Because the trip is short, probably taking only a few hours and thinking they would be back at the trail head before sun down they would probably bring only a few essential items like water and some food in their backpack.  This is where the problem starts because they are ill-prepared should something happen along the way on their trek such as an injured team member or getting lost.

In my opinion people who go on longer journeys tend to be more prepared because they would have given more thought and planning into what items they would need to bring with them.

Please note that most of my trails are in tropical jungle and rainforest so the essential items listed here may not be applicable to those trekking or trail walking in other type of forests.

Yes, you may not believe it but these are the things I carry on day trips.  To me they are essential items to carry with me to raise the odds in my favor should some thing unplanned happen.

1. MATCHES / DISPOSABLE LIGHTER

Either matches or disposable lighters – you don’t have to carry both. Matches are cheaper but if you are lousy at lighting fires with them you can finish a box in no time. They can get crushed easily too. To avoid getting them wet I would recommend that you apply vaseline onto the match sticks before putting them into a waterproof container.

A disposable lighter is cheap and can go a long way. Unfortunately, it is not biodegradeable and when lighted for sometime the metal head gets really hot and may burn you fingers if you touched it. If the lighter gets wet you may not get any spark from the flint wheel in the metal head and you may not be able to light it up. Putting it to dry in the hot sun may help.

I feel comfortable knowing that I can start a fire if I needed to.   If I ever got stuck,  fire can be my source of light, heat and comfort at night. The smoke and heat will chase away insects and wild animals too. And I can start to cook some hot food or prepare a hot drink. For rescue purposes, creating thick smoke from the fire will assist rescuers in spotting where I am.

2. SMALL FLASHLIGHT / HEADLAMP

When it gets dark, a small flashlight or a headlamp will help you find your way around. Believe me, in the rainforest due to the thick forest canopy it normally gets dark much earlier. Now with the latest technology in bright LEDs, flashlights and headlamps are much brighter and they are much lighter because they don’t need large batteries. The Petzl headlamp (like in the photo on the left) only requires 3 AAA sized alkaline batteries. Since the LEDs do not drain very much, the headlamp last much longer – sometime several trips before needing a change.  When you get yourself a flashlight or headlamp, I would recommend that you buy the LED type and do away with the conventional bulb types. It’s your choice whether you want to carry a flashlight or a headlamp. As for me I prefer a headlamp because when I wear it on my forehead, my hands are completely free to do other tasks. I use a Petzl headlamp like this and just love the brightness of this unit.

3. HANDHELD GPS

I am a strong advocate of carrying a handheld GPS on any outdoor trip. The reason being is the trail logging feature of the GPS. It will record your trail as you move (make sure you swith on your GPS before you start and if you were ever lost you just need to save the trail into the GPS and activate the ‘track back’ button. It will trace your way back to the starting point so just follow it and hopefully the GPS will take you out of your mess. So for me with the GPS I can do away with markings on trees and trails (like what we had learnt as boyscouts) or the need to carry a compass and a map. There is no damage to the trees as we don’t have to make markings on them or break their branches. Don’t forget to carry an extra set of batteries though.

Get the handheld models which are hardy and normally waterproof. Good brands can capture weak satellite signals under thick forest canopy. My trusted unit is a Garmin 60Csx but there is a newer Garmin model here.

Wouldn’t it be cool to give your exact waypoints to rescuing parties or the helicopter flying in to rescue you?

4. EMERGENCY RATION

To me these are my emergency rations and different from any food which I could be carrying. They will only be consumed when in an emergency and I have finished my food supply altogether.

• 2 bars of chocolate because they give energy and they are also my comfort food. They can be kept without spoiling.
• Individually packed biscuits.
• Soup powder. You can make a hot soup with hot water. Imagine if you were lost in the jungle and it was raining. You’d have some hot sustenance to make.
• Tea bags, coffee sachets. So I can have a hot drink when I need one. I don’t bring sugar because that will add weight and I can get by without it. Water would be sourced in the area where I will be at.
• I got a good tip from my 10 year old son. He told me to pack  Murukku! (a typical Indian spicy crisps made of chickpeas and lentils). I thought his idea is great because they are cheap, full of protein and they keep well for a long time. So I will definitely include this in my emergency ration (I can remove biscuits from my food ration since I don’t like biscuits anyway – they could be either too bland or too sweet).
• All this are put into a metal mug. Mug will be used for drinking, boiling water, cooking the soup etc. To stir, I will get a clean branch from a non-poisonous tree for the job.

5. FIRST AID

Because I can get a bad allergy from insect bites I carry a tube of Eurax. The cream is applied onto the irritated skin and it is great for all types of itches. I don’t bother too much packing small handplasts because small grazes and cuts don’t bother me too much. But I will pack some 3″x3″ cotton gauze and surgical tapes for larger wounds. I also pack some anti-histamines pills for allergies and also some painkillers. I would also put in a large 2′x’2 cotton cloth which can be fashioned into a brace or wrap if needed. It also can be used as a twist tourniquet if required.

6. SMALL TARP

Just in case I need coverage I can fashion the tarp into a roof, I can use it to collect water,cover my belongings from the rain etc. I carry a small one which is about 4 feet x 4 feet and can be folded into a small bag and stored in the backpack.

7. ROPES

Ropes have many uses and they would be used if I need to tie or secure items together, or build a tent, etc. I would pack 1 piece of 1/4 inch double braided polyester rope about a 10ft in length. I don’t like the cheap plastic nylon ropes because they are difficult to tie and they slip easily.

8. WATER

I carry about 1.5 liters. I don’t like to carry too much because it is the single heaviest thing in my backpack. Abt 1 liter if I know I can source for water easily. I prefer to carry mine in a Camelbak bladder. Then I would just place the bladder into my backpack which already has a compartment for it.

9. WHISTLE

Blowing a whistle to get attention is better than shouting as it uses less effort. The sound from the whistle also travels further.  The loud shrill from the whistle can also startle and chase animals which may be close or approaching you. Get something like JetScream whistle here.

10. CELLPHONE

Yes, the modern day adventurer carries a cellphone. I would make sure that it’s fully charged and I would switch it off when I am out of network coverage area so that the cellphone will not drain the battery as it attemps to locate its network. My idea is if I should get stuck and while waiting for rescue, I can play the music I have stored into it, read an e-book or play games. And if it is GPS enabled, it can also be a backup for my handheld GPS.

11. WATERPROOF BAG

Most of the items you would be carrying such as your First Aid kit, cellphone, food ration, etc are to be kept dry or risk them being ruined due to water. On your trail, you may be crossing a river, or experiencing a torrential downpour so it is imperative that you keep these items dry. The best way to do it is to pack them into waterproof pouches. I highly recommend you put them into Aloksak pouches like this. They come in various sizes. Distribute your items into separate pouches such as one for medicine, another for eletronic devices, etc. It makes it so much easier to get your things and you are also in a way spreading your risk – rather than putting all dry items into one large pouch. If it should tear you risk damaging all the items in that pouch. Whereas if you put them into different pouches, if one were to tear then only items in that pouch risk being damaged by water.

12. KNIFE

I would never go out on a trek without one. To me it is just as important as being able to start a fire. There are so many choices out there but from all the knives I have used, I love the Mora Bushcraft Triflex. It’s not sexy but it serves its function extremely well.  It is not only comfortable to use but very sharp too. It can be used for all types of cutting. It’s great for cutting rope, wood or plant matter, eating, and I could see skinning with it.  You can put this into your backpack or strap it on your waist. In Malaysia you can purchase Mora knives from Outdoor Dynamics based in Penang. (just google them).

So there you go..I hope you find my post on the 12 Essential Items that can save your life if you were Lost helpful.

Don’t forget to leave your comments and views!

Read about people getting lost in the Malaysian Jungle:

Hashers Lose Way, Prompt Rescue Ops

Charity fundraising group gets lost in dense Malaysian jungle

It’s a jungle out there and we nearly didn’t get back

Man missing in jungle off East-West highway found

Massive search for four boys in Fraser’s Hill

Four boys missing in Fraser`s Hill found alive

Missing women trekkers rescued

There are numerous 4 star hotels in Kuala Lumpur or ‘KL’ . Most of them are located in strategic locations with easy access to transportation, shopping and entertainment. You may be paying slightly more than a 3 star accommodation but we will show you how you can save and probably just pay a slight premium over the 3 star hotels to enjoy the many perks that come with the 4 star hotels.

Out of all the 4 star hotels located in Kuala Lumpur, here are 3 hotels which we highly recommend. They are:

1. TRADERS HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR
We like this hotel because it’s new, great rooms, you can walk over to the KLCC for shopping and food and Petronas Twin Towers.

2. THE ROYALE BINTANG KUALA LUMPUR
We think you will love this hotel because it’s located on Jalan Bukit Bintang. It’s right in the shopping district. Plenty of street fare and night life.

3. HOTEL ISTANA KUALA LUMPUR
This is also highly recommended because you’re only 5 mins away from the shopping area. Great hotel with plenty of amenities.

Of course there are other hotels within the 4 star category such as

a. Berjaya Times Square Kuala Lumpur

b. Boulevard Hotel Kuala Lumpur

You can see that we are recommending you via the Hotels Combined website. We think the technology behind this hotel booking portal is simply superb. The reason is that it pulls all the best deals from the biggest hotel booking engines and present to you the results/rates from all these hotel booking engines on one page! It makes it so easy for you to compare all the rates and for you to choose the cheapest or the one with the best deal.

So next time if you want to save on 4 star hotels in Kuala Lumpur, don’t forget to use it!

Remember that without a significant amount of awareness to protecting yourself and your ATV, you could wind up injured, lost, or otherwise in bad shape.

It goes without saying that the first essential item you must have is a helmet. In Malaysia, although you would only require helmet when riding a motorised two-wheeler on a public road or highway, the same regulation should be self-imposed and applied when riding on trails. It is always better to err on the side of caution and wear a protective helmet when you ride on the ATV trail.

Next, remember the adage, “Drinking and driving don’t mix”? It goes for ATVs as well as automobiles, motorcycles, and boats. Even one can of beer has the ability to render you in a state of slowed responsiveness… and that means that a wrong turn could be the last one you ever make. Save the alcoholic beverages for the celebratory dinner or party the night after a long day of ATV trail cruising.

Make sure you consider using the “buddy system”. Though there are plenty of ATV enthusiasts who head out into the jungle with nary a friend save their trusty four-wheeled playmates, it is typically not a good idea. The thinking behind this safety precaution is a reasonable one: if anything happens to you on the ATV trail, having someone else there will speed up the process of getting you to a medical facility.

Of course, it’s imperative that you have your mobile phone on you for your ATV rides, though you cannot always rely on it unless you have a good network coverage. If you happen to wander off a trail and need to contact someone for help and you happen to be in a coverage area then you are in luck.

If you’re exploring a new ATV trail, bring along a GPS. These devices are so cheap nowdays that it should be on the list of things to buy when you got your ATV.  I would recommend the handheld models. A good choice would be Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx which is waterproof and impact resistant rather that the dashboard models for cars. Most smartphones now have built in gps too, so you may also consider this option. Another reason I prefer the handheld models is because it is easy to replace the batteries once the juice runs low. They would normally run on AA-sized batteries. Your saviour on the GPS is the ‘track back’ feature. Start your track at the beginning of your ride, then when you want to turn around to head back to the trail head, just save the track and activate the ‘track back’ option. There is no way you can lose your way back to your starting point

Check the weather before you head off. Use the internet via your computer or smartphone to get the latest weather condition. Then you can be better prepared for your outing. Though most ATVs are built to handle some tricky conditions, it’s best to know what kind of elements you’re likely to encounter. That way you can dress appropriately, bring along suitable gear or leave the ATV riding for another day if conditions look especially dicey.

Finally, one of the most important safety precautions is to ensure that the operator of the ATV is healthy enough to navigate through the trail. If you’re feeling at all ill or have a physical injury that could prevent you from being a dependable driver, you may need to head out another time. There is no shame in postponing an ATV ride if you’re under-the-weather. And, besides, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to enjoy the experience to its fullest if you’re coughing, achy, or in pain. Don’t forget to carry with you a personal first aid kit. Don’t know how to put one together? You can assemble your own personal first aid kit  just like I did.

By being prudent, you can ensure that your next ATV trail adventure is exciting, rewarding, and, most of all, safe.

Don’t forget to read the post on

–>12 Essential Items That Can Save Your Life If You Were Lost While Trekking<–

Have fun on your trail!

WHITE WATER RAFTING KUALA LUMPUR – SLIM RIVER PROMISES A DAY OF FUN AND EXCITEMENT

Planning a white water rafting trip while you are in Kuala Lumpur? Then try our WHITE WATER RAFTING FROM KUALA LUMPUR program. This Grade 3 river is located approximately 1.5 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur city centre.

The pick-up time from the KL Sentral Station (ERL Arrival Hall) is at 7.45am and you should arrive back in Kuala Lumpur by 4.00pm. This program runs everyday of the week.

Program Includes

[1] Return transportation from KL Sentral Station, Kuala Lumpur to Slim River
[2]Internal transportation basecamp to put-in point and take-out pointt o basecamp
[3] River guides
[4] White-water rafting equipment: helmet, paddle, personal flotation device (pfd)
[5] On-river snacks
[6] Lunch
[7] Use of basecamp facilities

To book, please email to us at helpdesk@myadventurehost.com

Well, Sungai Selangor is but only one of the several rivers available for white water rafting located just outside of Kuala Lumpur. Besides this river there are also Sungai Slim (Slim River) and Sungai Kampar.  Both rivers are located in Perak.  Both this rivers can be rafted and done as a day trip just like Sungai Selangor. For the dare devil rafters there is even Sungai Singor in Grik, Perak. Now this one is considered a Grade 5 white water rafting river.

Most rafting outfitters prefer to promote Sungai Selangor because of the close proximity of the river to the city and also to their home base. Therefore, operating on Sungai Selangor can shave off some of their operating costs. By operating here, there wouldn’t be additional costs such as off-road transportation of equipment, guides, rafters and even food.

With Sungai Selangor, rafters would normally have a great time on the river but unfortunately Sungai Selangor is not without its bad points.  Although this river is considered a Grade 4, often times the flow of the river is very much influenced by the water volume.  The water volume is controlled by the huge dam upstream managed by Splash.  Splash stands for Syarikat Pengeluaran Air Selangor Sdn. Bhd. – a state owned water management company.

Rafting outfitters do not know in advance how much water will be released by Splash on any given day and this makes it difficult for them to know the river condition in advance. After years of meetings and discussions between Splash, the local municipality, the tourism ministry and all those involved, this issue has never been resolved until today.

So rafting outfitters can only hope that there would be sufficient water volume on any given day for them to conduct their rafting runs.  It is always a touch-and-go situation. This does not augur well when it involves conducting white water rafting programs of international scale and quality.

But it is safe to say that over 80% of their rafting runs can be conducted without the need for any postponement, cancellation or change in venue.  In saying so, there would be that small percentage of about 20% of the rafters that may face this inconvenience.

Therefore, our advice is if you plan to come white water rafting choose Slim River. The reason this river is not very well known is that Slim River is a relatively new river for white water rafting if compared to Sungai Selangor or Sungai Kampar.  These other rivers have been on the rafting map for years and therefore with the information available and through word-of-mouth, they would be the more popular choices.

Slim River actually has plenty to offer to novices and experienced rafters alike. To begin with, the location is simply remarkable.  You are actually rafting in a remote setting in some very beautiful part of the rainforest in Perak. So when you raft, it is not just rafting exhilaration but also the chance to be in a peaceful jungle setting.

Do you know that getting to the put-in-point (the starting point) is an adventure in itself? Because of the remoteness of the put-in-point located deep in the jungle, we will transport you off-road using our 4 wheel drive (4WD) vehicles.  The steep ascents and descents, the muddy trails, twist and turn of the single track will get your adrenalin pumping even before the start of your rafting.

And as you pass through some Orang Asli villages along the way and watching their laid back lifestyle, it gives you a feeling that you’re totally away in a remote area away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Slim River, a Grade 3 rafting river, has plenty of rapids and they come one after the other. So you can be guaranteed of the chance of challenging rapid after rapid on your 2 hour journey down the river.  Believe me, you will get a good work out at the end of the trip.

And the best of all, this is a natural flowing river unlike Sungai Selangor. So we can raft on this river throughout the year. From the years of operating here, there has never been a trip cancellation due to low water volume. You can be assured that when you arrive, there would be a very very high probability your rafting program will be going on as scheduled.

Having read this, when you’re planning a white-water rafting day trip from Kuala Lumpur ask for Slim River by name and we can promise that you will have a fantastic day out with us.

We hope to meet you when you come white water rafting on Slim River!

Buy the White water rafting t-shirt!

I wanted to do some photography and thought about taking some shots of Mount Kinabalu.  After doing some research on the net, I found a lodge with good reviews and it overlooks the mountain. Great, i found a lodge located in a place called Bundu Tuhan.  And, so I set off for little village which is located off the Kota Kinabalu – Ranau highway.

An Old Signboard at Bundu Tuhan

I just love the name of this place – it sounds so off the beaten track for me.  From the express bus station in the town of Inanam in Kota Kinabalu, I took the 10.00am express bus.  I was told the journey would take about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Bundu Tuhan is about 80km from Kota Kinabalu and only minutes away from the entrance to the Kinabalu National Park by car (a bit far to walk though).  I paid RM15.00 for the one way express bus ticket.

~stay tuned for updates~

This posting is especially for those of you planning to self-drive from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Kubu Bharu (KKB). Hopefully this will make it easier for you to plan your journey and that you arrive on time for the meet-up by 9.00am on the day of the event.

1. Plan to leave early. The meeting time is 9.00am in Kuala Kubu Bharu town. We normally wait for all participants in front of the post office (Pos Malaysia) in town. The name of the street is Jalan Dato Tabal.  The journey from Kuala Lumpur will take approximately 1 hour.

2. If you arrive early, there are several shops (chinese noodles, mamak shop, etc) which are already opened and you can grab a quick breakfast.

3. There is a public toilet not too far away from the Post Office.  This is open every day except Sundays.

4. It is best to come already in your rafting attire because there are no changing rooms available in town or at the put-in point.

5. If you are using a GPS, please ensure that as you are driving on the NKVE headed north to exit either at the Rawang Toll or the Bukit Beruntung Toll. Your GPS should then recalculate to head you towards Kuala Kubu Baru once you have exited at any of these exits. Do not follow your GPS if it is instructing you to exit at the Tanjong Malim Toll. If  you exit at the Tanjong Malim Toll, you would have driven further north and would then have to back track your way down again to Kuala Kubu Baru wasting precious time and fuel.

6. Lastly, it is a group event, so don’t be late. We can only start when everyone has arrived. It’s not appropriate to make others wait because of your tardiness. Plan you journey especially if you are coming in a group and make sure everyone arrives on time.

See you soon!

The 2 hour session was simply amazing, everyone enjoyed themselves and some were quite surprised to find out that they could play very well.

And after all the hard work, we got this comment from the head of the organising committee